UCLA leads national effort to address New Orleans' mental health needs

To address the enormous mental health needs of New Orleans, UCLA psychology professor Vickie Mays is leading a national effort to provide mental health education and training -- including to New Orleans' parents, families, the clergy and mental health providers -- Aug. 8–9.

"There has rightfully been a lot of attention on ensuring that the people of New Orleans have safety, shelter, food and medicine, but in addition to issues of survival, many people in New Orleans in response to Katrina have very serious mental disorders as well as severe emotional distress," said Mays, director of the UCLA Center for Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities. "If we don't intervene with the mental health needs of children now, we could see a generation in New Orleans that will experience depression, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and other chronic problems. We don't want to let the downward cycle start."

from Eureka Newsalert